Almond Cherry Muffins with Streusel Topping

There is something heavenly about a freshly baked muffin bursting with juicy tart cherries and topped with a lovely almond streusel. That is exactly what you'll find here in this Almond Cherry Muffin made-from-scratch recipe. So simple, yet so scrumptious that your taste buds will be singing for joy as soon as you sink your teeth into this melt-in-your-mouth muffin.   

It's the perfect afternoon snack for kids just getting home from school, a grab-and-go quick breakfast as you scramble out the door or a sneaky bite that satisfies a midnight craving. Baked culinary bliss is found in these Cherry Muffins with a rich almond flavor running throughout. If you love cherries, check out this Tart Cherry Cheese Cake or my Sweet Bing Cherry Pie Recipe.

How to Make the Best Almond Cherry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Main Ingredients you will Need

The beauty of baked goods is that pretty much everything you need, you'll have access to in your pantry and fridge. The exceptions for this recipe might be the almond extract (it is so worth the purchase) and the frozen cherries. 

Dry Ingredients. All-Purpose Flour, White and Brown Sugar, Baking Powder and Baking Soda, and Salt.

Wet Ingredients. Eggs, Butter, Canola Oil, Sour Cream, Vanilla Extract, and Almond Extract

Frozen Tart Cherries. 

Almonds. Either sliced or slivered.

Making the Streusel Topping

Start with cold butter and cut it into small pieces. Avoid using room temperature or melted butter as that will cause the streusel to flatten out when cooked. Cold butter results in a crumbly topping instead of a gooey one.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour and sugar then add cold butter pieces along with almond extract. A pastry blender is used to cut the butter into flour and brown sugar mixture. Continue cutting in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The butter pieces when completed should be about the size of peas. 

If you're using sliced almonds add them to a small bowl with flour and brown sugar. If using slivered almonds wait until the end and gently fold them into the mixture. 

• You can use a food processor to cut in the butter but be careful not to overwork it as the butter will become too small. 
• You don't want to use your hands as the warmth of your hands will cause the butter to soften.

Making the Almond Cherry Muffin Batter

Mix the butter, sugars, and oil. With a hand-held or standing mixer, cream together the brown and white sugar and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. This should only take about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the canola oil and blend until combined. 

• Why both butter and canola oil? Creaming the butter with sugars introduces air bubbles into the mix which helps elevate the muffins when baked. Butter also adds a distinct flavor that the oil cannot give. The canola oil produces a lighter and fluffier muffin. 
• Butter is for the taste and canola oil is for the texture.

Add the eggs to the creamed mixture. Turn the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs. When adding eggs to baked goods, it's best to add them one at a time, beating well after each one. In this cherry muffin recipe, I added an extra egg yolk to give them a richer and softer texture.

Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. With the mixer on low speed, add the sour cream and the two extracts, vanilla and almond. Blend only until the ingredients are combined.

• When choosing the extracts, go the extra mile and grab the "pure" and not the "imitation." They definitely are more costly, but honestly well worth the price. Pure is exactly as it says, "pure" with no added flavorings. Imitation is a synthetic flavor. 
• Make sure and bring the eggs, butter, and sour cream to room temperature before mixing. When dairy ingredients are at room temperature they form an emulsion that traps air. This allows the trapped air to expand during the baking process which produces fluffier baked goods.

Mixing the Dry Ingredients with the Wet Ones

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix only until you no longer see the flour. The batter will be lumpy at this point but once the muffins are in the oven, the lumps will bake out. 

• Over-mixing the batter will cause the muffins to be tough and lose their fluff. 

Folding in the Frozen Cherries and Almonds

You can pull the cherries directly from the freezer, with no waiting to thaw. Quickly rinse the frozen cherries and blot them with paper towels to prevent them from bleeding. Gently stir them into the batter along with the almonds. You can use either sliced or slivered almonds. The batter will be very thick once you add the cherries. 

• When grabbing a bag of cherries from the freezer section, make sure they are pitted. It will make your life so much easier. I chose tart cherries for this recipe but you can choose any variety that you like. 
• Any frozen berry, i.e. blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, etc., will work great with this recipe as well.  

Line a regular size muffin tin with paper liners. Use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to fill the tin. Normally you would fill the muffin tins about ¾ of the way but for this batter, because it is so thick, I filled them all the way to the top. This gave me a larger muffin, with a tall top.  

Into the Oven

The muffins start out in a preheated 425°F oven which seems really hot, I know. BUT this is how you get those "Bakery-Worthy" tall tops. This initial high temperature raises the muffin top quickly. After five minutes you lower the oven temp to 350°F allowing the center of the muffin to bake.

When are the Cherry Muffins done?

These muffins take about 25-30 minutes after the initial high heat. You'll know they are done when you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs hanging on. 

Giving the Muffins time to Cool

Once these beauties are out of the oven, let them rest in the pan for five minutes. This allows the muffins to firm up a bit and be released from the sides of the pan. Any longer than this, condensation from the pan can result in soggy muffins. Move each muffin to a wire baking rack to finish cooling. 

How to Store these Cherry Muffins

Let them cool completely. Line an airtight container or plastic storage bag with paper towels and place the muffins on top of the towels. Place another layer of paper towels on top of the muffins. These will absorb any moisture the muffins will release. You should be able to store these at room temperature for up to four days. 

• Do not store muffins in the refrigerator, as it can change their flavor and texture.

How to Freeze Cherry Muffins

If you're making a large batch and want to preserve them longer, let the muffins cool completely and lay them on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer to flash freeze for an hour or two.

Once they're completely frozen, place them in an airtight container. These will store in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to eat, pull them from the freezer and let them come to room temperature. Reheat for a few seconds in the microwave. 

Looking for more baked goods with fruit? Check these out:

Tart Cherry Cheesecake

Layered Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Puff Pastry Apple Galette

Lemon Bars Infused with Lavender

Strawberry Lemon Bars

Fresh Peach Upside Down Cake

Sweet Bing Cherry Pie

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